Amá Conversa

António Madaleno (researcher/activist) was born in Lisbon in 1973 and was educated according to the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, but later abandoned this religion & studied Psychology at the Autonomous University of Lisbon (UAL). Over the years, he has written many (published) articles online, as well as on the website "Desperta!" about destructive sects and high-control groups. António has also written a book; a biography! He has also participated in several journalistic reports and television programs!

Fadista André Gonçalves, from the island of São Jorge Azores, lives in Terçeira and has lived there for the past 15 years. He started singing traditional FADO about 14 years ago, and was apart of a musical project called "Vozes do Fado", and currently is the only vocalist for the musical group "FadoBravo"!

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O Fadista André Gonçalves, é natural da ilha de São Jorge Açores, reside na ilha Terçeira a 15 anos. Ele começou a cantar FADO tradicional ao mais ou menos há 14 anos, fazendo parte de um projecto músical chamado "Vozes do Fado" e mais tarde, e atualmente, é o único vocalista do agrupamento musical "FadoBravo"!

Paulo Salgueiro, Jr. AKA João Cagão is a Portuguese American from Massachusetts whose family is originally from the Azores. He holds a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice with certificates in Forensic Accounting and Mental Illness, Crime and Justice. He is a community advocate and currently works in higher education (admissions). He is a former political candidate, radio host and has also done TV work. He performed his first stand up shows last October. He enjoys promoting the Portuguese/Azorean culture to the community at large.

Joe Fagundes is a talented musician who immigrated to Alameda California in 1977, originally from Serreta Terçeira Açores. He has been involved with Danças de Carnaval in California, most recent with the Grupo "Os Independents", as well as other musical events within our community. Since the quarantine, he has been playing accordian for us all via Facebook on Sundays, and has brought so much joy to our homes! Thank you Joe, for sharing your love of music with us all!

Mary learned to read coffee grounds from her mom, since the age of 15 she was fascinated with the ancient tradition of fortune telling through the use of Turkish coffee. Love, success, money, fortune: the art of reading coffee grounds is as old as coffee itself. Coffee fortune telling was born out of Turkish Coffee and is an inseparable part of the pleasure and conversation associated with coffee.

This ritual spread to Europe at the end of the 17th century when it became fashionable in Paris, from where it spread to Austria, Hungary and Germany.

After the coffee is drunk the cup is placed upside down on its saucer. After the cup has thoroughly cooled, the fortuneteller examines the patterns formed by the grounds. The aim is generally to impart good news and to promote a positive outlook on the future.

The shapes and patterns left by the grounds on the cup and saucer have various symbolic meanings.

Turkish coffee (Kahva) and fortune telling (Fahl), is a Middle Eastern tradition, and she is excited to represent her people by advancing this tradition.

Suzana Pais is from Germany, and has been singing since childhood! She has been involved with various musical groups and bands in Germany, and since 2014, she has been singing FADO in a group called "Gerações". In this moment, she is currently working on her originals!

Carmencita Artista, is an extremely talented singer & musician! She is an American born, of Portuguese and Spanish heritage. She started singing at a young age, and had her big break at 16 years old singing for Hilmar festa, in California, as an opening act. From there, her musical path started and evolved into a handful of great opportunities within the Portuguese community in the United States and beyond.

Alessandra Kiana Eiras is a San Francisco Bay Area teen singer who has just released her FIRST single, "Wonder of Living", a smooth jazz tune! +You can listen to Wonder of Living on YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer and other music streaming sites). Born and raised in Hayward, California ~ she is a City of Hayward Youth Commissioner. She is the winner of the city’s Youth Hall of Fame Award for Leadership and recently was awarded 2nd place for her solo singing performance in a competition sponsored by the Hayward Foundation of the Arts. During the pandemic she has been busy with distance learning and making music from home. Alessandra has been singing since she picked up a microphone at 3-years-old. She has performed at many local events, festivals and Farmers’ Markets in the SF Bay Area. Along with English songs she has sung in Portuguese and Spanish for cultural events. (She was going to sing a couple of Fado songs for a BJM “Fado Night” November 2020 but it was canceled due to Covid-19). She has participated in school talent shows and choir throughout elementary, middle school and high school. Alessandra's musical influence has been her dad, Angelo Eiras, a well known musician in the Bay Area’s Portuguese and Brazilian community. This year, Angelo reconnected with a long time Brazilian friend, Ademar Boka Lima. When Ademar heard Alessandra sing, he told Angelo about his original song, “Wonder of Living” which was sitting in a desk drawer for over 6 years. After listening to Alessandra’s YouTube channel Ademar said, “This song has been waiting for your daughter to sing it, she has the perfect voice for it.” Alessandra then recorded her vocals in California and tracks were sent to the studio in Sao Paulo, Brazil where it was mixed into the final song with all the instruments.

Rúben Gonçalves, is a unique and extraordinary artist born in Faro, Portugal, in 1997. Rúben develops his artwork in the areas of drawing and painting, occasionally adventuring himself in the fields of sculpture and installations. In his production, he explores various themes that go from psychoanalysis, to brief existential reflections, with a particular focus on the subjects of death and finality, while utilizing contemporary artistic practices, specifically blurring the boundaries between drawing and painting.

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Rúben Gonçalves, é um artista único e extraordinário nascido em Faro, Portugal, em 1997. Rúben desenvolve a sua arte nas áreas do desenho e da pintura, aventurando-se ocasionalmente nos campos da escultura e das instalações. Em sua produção, ele explora diversos temas que vão desde a psicanálise, até breves reflexões existenciais, com foco particular nos temas da morte e da finalidade. Procura, deste modo, implantar questões e problemáticas relativas às práticas artísticas contemporâneas, mais especificamente, esbater a fronteira entre o desenho e a pintura e à própria efemeridade do objeto artístico.

Artur DeFreitas is an immigrant from Terçeira Açores Portugal, that currently resides in Toronto, Canada. He is a lover of Carnaval and all of Terçeira's traditions. Artur has been President, various years, for the Sport Clube Lusitania de Toronto, and he is the Leader "Mestre" (and instructor) of the Grupo dos Amigos do Carnaval de Toronto, that he formed in 2008.

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Artur DeFreitas é um imigrante Terçeirence, radicado em Toronto, Canada. Ele é amante do Carnaval e todas as tradiçôes Terceirences. O Artur já foi Presidente, de varios anos, do Sport Clube Lusitania de Toronto, e o Mestre do "Grupo dos Amigos do Carnaval de Toronto", que ele formou em 2008.